Rewind
by Iggycat
Summary: Rewind back through Alfred's spontaneous visit to London.  -This flick is written backwards, hence the title :D-  USUK One shot


Disclaimer: I own nothing. Rights go to the respected owners. Please review! :D

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**Rewind**

**Departure**

A cool breeze ran through Arthur's choppy, blond hair as he stared up into endless blue eyes.

"Well it certainly was nice of you to…er… pop in for a visit."

"Anytime Iggy," said the taller man as he leaned down and rubbed their noses together in an Eskimo kiss. "I wish I could spend all my time with you."

The Brit blushed crimson and tensed up when strong arms enveloped his delicate frame.

"You know… you're um… you're welcome to visit the states whenever you like. There's tons of awesome stuff there. I could totally give you a personal tour! It would be awe-"

A single slim finger was held to his lips.

"I'll book a flight as soon as I get home."

At that the American flashed his award winning smile and squeezed his lover just a tad tighter; to Alfred, Arthur was just a big teddy bear.

"You're going to miss your flight idiot…" said Arthur but it lacked any bite.

"I'm going to miss something much more important."

Without missing a beat Alfred gently pressed his lips to the Briton's. Arthur smiled and quickly wrapped his arms around Alfred's shoulders. He threaded his fingers through the golden locks of hair at the back of his neck, and returned the kiss just as gently. With a tinge of regret the two slowly pulled apart from their bittersweet kiss and rested their foreheads against each others.

"Idiot…."

"I love you too Iggy."

Alfred pressed another quick kiss to his lover's lips and then reached for the handle of his long forgotten suitcase. With a small wave and a reassuring smile, he turned to leave. It only took him two or three steps before he seemingly remembered something and briskly walked back to his partner. He clasped the Brit's shoulder and spun him around in one quick motion.

"Yes?" Arthur asked, with just a hint of hope in his tone.

"I almost forgot to tell you something."

Arthur looked up at him with his piercing, curious, green gaze.

"Well do tell."

"I just forgot to mention that the plane food is even worse than your cooking!"

And with that the American was off, chuckling in amusement, with a fuming Brit right behind him.

**Breakfast in Bed**

Arthur wriggled his nose and shifted his head slightly against the pillow. Was that bacon he smelled? He blinked open his bleary, emerald eyes and became aware of the warm and comforting arms embracing him. And what was that? Tuning into his surroundings better he realized that Alfred was whispering sweet nothings into his ear, coaxing him to wake up. Smiling, Arthur softly jabbed the American in his ribs.

"Trying to sleep idiot…" he mumbled as he pulled the covers up over his head, but it was no use.

"You're up!" Alfred shot up from his side of the bed and vaulted right on top of Arthur. He jerked away the covers and encompassed the smaller man. "Good morning, love," he stated with an awful imitation of a British accent.

"Ughhh..." Arthur groaned annoyed, but his smile betrayed him. "You better have a good reason for waking me," he yawned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Is the house on fire?"

"What with all the rain here? I'm pretty sure that's impossible!" the American flashed his blindingly, white smile. "No, it's much better than that Iggy. I made you breakfast in bed!"

Gradually becoming more aware and conscious, Arthur recalled the bacon he smelled earlier. He turned his head in the direction that the smell was coming from. His eyes caught on a large tray set on his bedside table. On it was an elaborate assortment of food and beverages. There were potatoes and toast, bacon, sausages and eggs, and… was that beans?

"You made me a typical English breakfast?"

"Well I wasn't about to let you cook," he smiled and pecked the Brit's cheek. "Now come on get up! I've gotta catch my flight home later and I want to make the most of my time with you!"

Arthur smiled sincerely and swiftly pushed the American off of himself. He sat up and looked at him kindly. "It's 'got to' idiot, not 'gotta.'"

Alfred beamed up at him and kissed his nose. "Right, right well hurry up and dig in. You've _got to_ eat. Look at you, you're skin and bones!" Alfred chuckled and ran a hand down Arthur's stomach.

The Briton flushed, secretly enjoying the endearment he was receiving. He lifted a teapot that had been placed in the middle of the tray and poured some of the contents into a small teacup. Lifting the cup up to his lips, he paused when he noticed that the liquid was rather dark, and had an extremely potent smell. He took a sip and winced, he should have expected coffee….

**Precious Moments**

Arthur fumbled with the keys to his apartment when Alfred suddenly decided to tickle him.

"What the...hehe…stop it….hehehaha…..ALFRED!" The Brit whipped around and caught both the American's hands in midair. "What the hell are you doing? Bloody tickling me?"

Alfred simply smirked and leaned down to kiss his forehead. "Guilty as charged."

Arthur rolled his eyes and released his lover's hands. "You are such a child."

He spun back around and unlocked the door. The Brit looked at his partner and ushered him inside. Alfred entered, closing the door behind him. He shrugged off his bomber jacket and threw it at the coat rack (he missed…) while the Briton carefully undid his own jacket and hung it up.

Arthur shook his head and smiled. He took Alfred's hand and led him down the hall. "Come this way, we can watch a movie in the sitting room."

"That sounds great! As long as it's not some boring documentary! Or uh…you know nothing too scary. I don't want you having nightmares Artie."

The Briton simply snickered knowing full well that a certain blue-eyed man was absolutely terrified of horror movies. He took a seat in the middle of the couch, as his partner sat down to his right. "So you'd like to watch a chick-flick then love?" He withheld his laughter as the other man blushed.

"Are you kidding?" Alfred grabbed the remote and started flipping through the selections on screen. He stopped at an adventure film and turned to Arthur. "We're gonna watch one of my freakin' awesome action movies! You better brace yourself old man, I don't know if you can handle it!" With that Alfred smiled and pulled a reluctant Brit onto his lap.

"What is this? Get your paws off of me!" Arthur yelped as he began to squirm, but Alfred just tightened his grip.

Slowly the Briton gave into the American's hold and shifted to get comfy in his lap. Alfred smiled at his victory and moved his eyes to the screen as the movie began to play. It started off with the usual car chase and explosions which were quite suitable for Alfred's short attention span.

About 45 minutes into the movie Alfred realized something had changed. He tuned out the TV and listened to the pattern of Arthur's breathing. It was slow and steady and was in sync with his quiet heartbeat. Alfred tilted his head to get a better look at the smaller man's face and he smiled sincerely when he realized that Arthur had fallen asleep. Alfred sighed peacefully and turned off the TV. Smiling down at the man in his lap, he then shifted his arms around the sleeping bundle. With great force, and extreme care, he lifted Arthur and stood up from the couch. He clicked off the living room lights and carried his precious cargo upstairs to the bedroom.

**Days to Remember**

"Where on Earth are you dragging me Alfred?"

The American interlocked is fingers with his partner's. "You'll see. It's a surprise! Too bad it's raining though." With his other hand Alfred held a large red, white and blue umbrella steadily above their heads.

"What a shock, raining in London."

Alfred smirked and continued walking down the street, Arthur at his side. They passed several shops and pubs as the American tried to navigate to his destination. After passing the same corner three times Arthur realized that Alfred had no idea where he was going.

"Alfred this is the third time we've passed this pub; either you want to get me stinking drunk at this bar, or you have no idea where the hell we are."

"Hehe… That rhymed Iggy."

Arthur shut him up by smacking him upside the head.

"OW! What gives?"

"Git, we've been walking around aimlessly for an hour haven't we?"

When the American didn't respond Arthur knew he was correct. He shook his head and looked up at the dark and rainy sky. The wind blew and he shivered as it sent a chill right through to his core.

"Are you cold?"

Arthur glanced up briefly to find blue eyes that were rather concerned.

"Cuz if you are, you can have my jacket and we can walk back to the apartme-"

Alfred's sapphire eyes widened and looked down immediately when he felt slim, tiny fingers intertwine with his own.

"I'm a bit chilly but no thank you, I'm okay. And I have a better idea rather than going back to the apartment, follow me."

Out of curiosity Alfred did exactly as he was told. He held fast to Arthur's hand as he was lead through the streets of the city. When the Briton led them off the normal pathway and onto a dirt road, curiosity started to get the best of him.

"Artie… where are we going?"

"We're almost there. Just be patient love."

The pair continued walking even as the rain that had once been an insignificant drizzle evolved into a full fledge downpour. Alfred did his best to keep the umbrella over their heads, but every now and then a gust of wind would send it flying, allowing the two of them to be drenched in a few quick seconds.

After walking in the cold for nearly 15 minutes Arthur announced their arrival. "Look, here we are." He squeezed Alfred's hand in either a gesture of affection or as a way of ensuring that his hand had not gone numb.

The American looked up, past the sheets of rain and caught a glimpse of the most beautiful lake he had ever seen. It was encircled by trees and wildlife, and though it was raining, it maintained a beautiful reflection you would generally only see on sunny days. It was blue, truly azure, as opposed to most bodies of water that had that slight green tint from pollution and whatever else. He abruptly pulled his gaze away from the water and landed it on emerald eyes.

"Arthur this is… It's just so … I can't even find words to describe it."

"I'm glad you think that. This is my… my happy place. I like to come here to think, but I've… never actually brought anyone here before."

"Well I'm absolutely honored. This place has a weird kind of magical feel. Almost like you."

The American smiled down at the blushing Brit, glad the flattery was having its intended effect. His grin widened as he got an idea and pulled the umbrella closed.

"Idiot what are you doing? We'll get soaked!"

Alfred simply ignored him and wrapped his arms around Arthur's waist.

"Ever heard of kissing in the rain Iggy?"

Arthur opened his mouth to speak but was instead met with Alfred's slightly chapped lips. The Brit scowled but it quickly disappeared as he wrapped his own arms around the American's neck. The rain continued to fall, and the two continued to get drenched, but neither one noticed seeing as they were much too busy with something else.

**Arrival**

"_The captain has turned off the fasten seatbelt sign. Please stay seated until we have docked at our designated gate. We once again thank you for flying with us, and on behalf of the entire flight crew, I'd like to welcome you to London." _

Damn this plane for being so slow. Why was it taking so long to dock? Alfred was finding it exceedingly difficult to stay in his seat knowing that in a few minutes he would be surprising someone with a weekend visit.

-Ding-

"_Flight attendants please prepare doors."_

That was it. That was the magical sentence that freed you from the hell that was your airplane seat. Alfred bounded up, quickly opening his overhead bin without help or consent from one of the flight attendants. He grabbed his suitcase and quickly made his way from his aisle seat to be standing right in front of the door.

As soon as that door opened the American was gone. He sprinted through the airport as if he was trying to win an Olympic medal. He couldn't wait. Arthur was here. Arthur was in this city. He was so close, yet so far away. Alfred sped out the doors of the airport, ignoring the buckets of rain pelting down on him, to meet a cab outside. He jumped inside and belted out a street address to the driver. Much to Alfred's delight, the driver hit the gas without any question. Someone would be getting a few pounds extra as a tip.

The car drove along as an anxious American twiddled his thumbs in the back seat. When the cab was only a few blocks away Alfred reached into his bag and pulled out a plush teddy bear he'd purchased back in the states. It was holding a pink heart that read 'I love you' and Alfred thought it was quite fitting. The cab stopped and the American looked up and saw that he was in front of Arthur's flat.

"Thanks so much!" Alfred barked as he threw a few bills at the driver and bolted out of the cab.

He rushed up to the apartment, tripping over himself in the process, yet somehow managing to arrive at the door. He knocked like his life depended on it.

A few moments later the door opened to reveal a blond, British man, much smaller in stature. The Brit looked up at him in disbelief. "Alfred? What on Earth-"

He was cut off as he was enveloped in a bone crushing hug.

"ARTHUR! I MISSED YOU, SO, SO, SO, SO MUCH!" the American squeezed him tighter, ignoring the fact that he was probably cutting off circulation.

When Alfred pulled back, Arthur simply smiled up at him.

"I wasn't expecting a visit from you. This is certainly a surprise."

Alfred beamed and handed Arthur the plush bear before he responded.

"Well my surprise visits are always awesome, are they not?"

The Brit blushed and didn't even try to hold back his smile.

"Indeed they are love, indeed they are."

Arthur grinned looking from his new stuffed friend to the man that meant the world to him. Alfred's surprise visits were always filled with precious moments and days he would never forget. He wondered what this weekend would have in store.


End file.
